


you are my dopamine

by timberlydrake_wayne



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Agender Azumane Asahi, M/M, Multi, Retail AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21574210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timberlydrake_wayne/pseuds/timberlydrake_wayne
Summary: Based on this prompt: Person A steps up to defend employee (person B) against a raging soccer momOf course, why would I stop at OTP when there's a perfectly good OT3 just waiting for me?
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi, Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, established Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi, pre Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 88





	you are my dopamine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sugaplumvisions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugaplumvisions/gifts).



“What do you mean you don’t have any more in the back? You didn’t even go look!” The woman screeches, bunching up the sweater in her hands.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Suga says, trying to put on his best contrite-employee face, arms full of clothes he was trying to put away before he was interrupted. “I just pulled what we had out of the back this morning so these are all we have. If you’d like, we can always order the correct size and have it shipped—”

“I don’t want it shipped,” she snaps. “I need it for tonight.”

“In that case, we have something similar you might like?” he offers, taking a step towards another fixture full of what Suga considers to be nicer sweaters than the one the customer is asking after. “Unfortunately since the holiday is right around the corner we’re sold out of a lot of styles. What about these?” He shifts the clothes in his arms to free up a hand and picks up one of the sweaters to show off the way the metallic thread glints in the light. “These could go either casual or slightly more formal with the right ensemble? If you give me a second to put these down I’d be happy to help—”

“I don’t like that,” she says, still standing in the same place. 

“Um,” Suga says. “Okay. How can I help you?”

“You can  _ help _ me by finding this sweater. This one, not a different one.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but as I mentioned before, what’s on the floor is all we have.”

“I don’t think I like your attitude,” the woman says. He blinks. “You’re rather rude.”

Suga is gobsmacked, heart sinking. His shift has already been hectic, and now he has to deal with one of these customers. “I-I’m sorry to come across that way, it wasn’t my intention—"

“I think _ you’re _ the one being rude,” a new voice cuts in. “He  _ has _ to be nice to you to keep his job.”

Suga turns, shocked into silence. The guy looks deceptively friendly, but his expression is hard. 

“ _ Excuse me? _ ” the woman says. 

The man indulges her. “I said that you’re the one being rude, not him.” He steps up to stand between the woman and Suga. 

“The customer is always right!” the woman insists, but quieter now. She’s glancing around to see if anyone else is listening, her face starting to redden. 

“In my experience, a customer who insists on their privilege is the least deserving of it.” Suga stares at the guy, positive he has stars in his eyes. Attractive  _ and _ kind. A dangerous combination. “Now, if you’ll excuse us,” he continues, “I actually need his help.” He turns to Suga with a smile. “I’m looking for a wallet?” he says. 

Suga’s stuck for a moment, but takes the lifeline offered. “Men’s or women’s?” he asks, already heading out of the women’s clothing section. He chances a glance behind them. The woman is picking up the sweater he’d offered before, looking chagrined.

“Men’s,” the guy answers, following close behind. “Do you want to put that stuff down first?”

Suga smiles. “It’s on the way, no worries!” He stops off to move the clothes from his arms to the bar he was using, then continues on to the men’s accessories. He glances at the man again. “Thank you,” he says. He stops walking and gestures in front of them towards the wallets.

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me,” he replies, glancing over the options. “I hate people like that. Are you okay?” He turns to face Suga, who takes a deep breath, glad that it barely shudders, and nods.

“Daichi!” A voice calls from behind them. “Oh, you found them.”

“I was just about to text you, Asahi,” Daichi says. “I had help.” He gestures to Suga, who smiles pleasantly. An attractive guy with an equally attractive friend. Suga’s night has definitely improved.

“Oh, good,” Asahi says, returning Suga’s smile. They’re tall and goatee’d and the long hair is definitely working for them. Well. Working for Suga, at least.

“Ah, do you guys need anything else?” he offers, starting to feel awkward hanging around while there’s other work to be done.

“We need a lot of things,” Daichi says, giving Suga a wink. Is he _ flirting _ ? 

Asahi sighs. “We do actually need help,” they say.

Suga smiles. “Sure! What can I help with?”

“We’re buying a gift,” Daichi says. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a wallet.” 

“Okay,” Suga says. “Who for?”

“He’s like… an old mentor of ours?” Asahi says. 

Suga nods. “What sort of things does he usually gravitate towards?”

“Uh.”

“Um.”

“He’s a little rough around the edges?” Daichi offers. 

Asahi nods. “He’s a really good person, but comes across as a bit… gruff? At first?”

Suga looks between them, thinking. A general sort of gift for a mentor figure who’s a little rough around the edges? “You’re lucky,” he says, grinning. He beckons them with a hand and leads the way to a temporary fixture. “We just started putting out things specifically categorized as giftables.” He leans down and picks up a stylized box. He brandishes the item. “Generally, you can’t go wrong with alcohol as a gift, right?” At their nods, he continues. “It’s styled to look like a book,” he pauses, shifts his grip, and opens it, “but it’s meant to hold liquor, or brandy, or whathaveyou.” He grins as Daichi takes it from him with a smile.

“Asahi?” he asks. Asahi nods.

“It’s perfect,” they say. 

Suga beams. “I’m glad!”

“We should take you with us to shop for all of our gifts,” Asahi says. Suga giggles.

“If only,” he says.

“Suga?” a voice calls, and, great, he knows what that tone means. He turns to face his manager. He has that look on his face, toupee askew, and Suga knows he’s in trouble.

“I’m sorry, I’m with some customers right now,” he tries, hoping to prolong the inevitable a bit longer and avoid this talk while there are people around. He hates getting chewed out in front of customers.

“I was just alerted to the predicament of another customer you were with,” he starts tremulously. “A lovely young woman told me about the attitude you copped with her. You  _ know _ the customer is always right, Suga.”

Suga looks at the ground, fists clenching. “I can’t help that what she wanted was out of stock,” he says as politely as possible. “I promise I didn’t ‘cop an attitude’ with anybody—”

“No, but I did,” Daichi butts in, voice pleasant. Suga’s head shoots up and his eyes go wide. “The woman was incredibly rude and nobody should be treated that way. My intention wasn’t to get Suga in trouble. He’s a remarkable employee and you should be proud to have someone like him in the store.” Suga’s blushing, staring at him wide-eyed. 

“He’s been nothing but helpful and kind,” Asahi adds, coming up beside Daichi and drawing themself up to their full height which is… very tall. “I think it might do you a disservice to take everything a customer says at face value.”

He must be dreaming. This has never happened to him before. Customers standing up for him; the world must be ending. He’s  _ definitely _ in love. His manager, meanwhile, is taken aback, toupee in danger of absconding completely. 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” he asks, attempting to regain some authority.

“Just a shopper!” Daichi says, smiling as if he didn’t just turn Suga’s entire day upside down. 

“Regular customers,” Asahi adds, “If more of your employees are like Suga.”

His manager, flustered, looks between the two and then back at Suga, takes a step back, then another. “Well... that’s fine then! Just make sure you’re getting your work done!” he says, before turning and scurrying off.

Suga drops into a crouch, elbows resting on his knees and face in his hands, and lets out a long shaky breath. 

“Hey,” Asahi says softly. “You okay?”

Suga nods, head still down.

“That guy like that all the time?” Daichi asks, still glaring in the direction his manager fled.

Suga nods again.

There’s silence for a few beats. Suga takes another loud shuddery breath.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Asahi asks again. The two of them step a little closer to Suga, hiding him from anyone who might be nearby (the only other person there now is an elderly woman trying on a coat in the mirror on the other side of the department, but Suga appreciates it anyway).

Suga stands up and rubs his face. He’s reasonably sure that his eyes are dry, so he faces them both. “Sorry, it’s been a long day,” he says, giving them a watery smile. “Thank you. Honestly, thank you so much. No one stands up for retail workers. It’s like, once we’ve got a name tag on we’re suddenly sub-human. It really. It means a lot.”

They both grin at him, Asahi rubbing their neck and Daichi rubbing his nose.

“No one deserves to be treated like that,” Asahi says, a little bashful. It’s incongruous with their previous intimidating demeanor, but Suga finds it endearing.

“Certainly not you,” Daichi says, a little softer.

Suga wants to say, ‘But you don’t even know me! How are you so kind to someone you don’t know?’ But he wrangles that impulse, is grateful for kindness, and instead smiles sweetly at them both.

They go red, and Asahi is the first to break the moment with the clearing of their throat. 

“We have to get going,” Daichi says, and is Suga imagining the regret he hears in his voice?

“Of course,” Suga says, nodding.

“We’ll see you around?” Asahi says, sounding almost like a question. 

“I’m here most days! Midday shifts, mostly.”

“Good. We’ll see you around,” Daichi echoes. Suga watches them go until they round the corner by the checkouts. He’s glad his shift is almost over; he’s exhausted. He hopes to see the two again soon.

*****

They do come by frequently, now. Suga never remembers seeing either of them before, but now he sees them all the time. Sometimes both at once, sometimes just one at a time. His day is always brighter for it.

It’s just Asahi today, armed with a list of groceries, which means there’s no reason to be over in the clothing department. Suga is discordantly pleased with this revelation. 

“And then,” Asahi continues, both of them smothering laughter. “He tries to make a dignified exit, but he-he steps on the dog toy, and it lets out this ridiculous honk!”

They’re both cackling, the tee in Suga’s hands dangling forgotten, and Asahi’s phone dings. They look apologetically at Suga, both of them still smiling as they check the message. Their face goes red and they shove it back in their pocket.

Suga looks at them questioningly, his smile shifting into something more gentle.

“It’s just Daichi, asking how you’re doing,” he says, not making eye contact.

“I’m doing well,” Suga says. “You both really improve my shifts every day you’re here.”

Asahi beams and Suga almost flinches, that’s how bright it is. He moves to the next table, this one also a mess, and Asahi follows. They watch Suga work for a few moments, long enough that Suga starts to feel self-conscious, and then sigh. 

“I gotta go buy groceries,” they say, holding up their list and looking unhappy about it. Suga smiles.

“Okay,” he says. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

Asahi returns his smile and pulls themself away from the fixture they’re leaning on. Suga watches them go, waves when they look back.

The next time, it’s Daichi who visits, who catches him on a bad day, a day when it seems like every person who comes through the department has to touch everything, pulling shirts from the bottom of the pile with no regard for grace, leaving clothes inside out and piled in a corner once they’ve tried them on. Everywhere Suga turns, someone is asking him a question or pulling him away, and he’s overwhelmed and feels acutely like every effort he makes today is in vain and nothing is getting done.

He’s assessing a mess of a table when Daichi finds him, running his hands through his hair and sighing. 

“Hey,” he says softly. “You okay?”

Suga smiles despite himself and shakes his head. “One of those days,” he replies, ignoring the way his voice cracks. He decides he’ll start at the top and work his way down, and keeps reminding himself that he’s done in twenty minutes. Daichi comes around so he can face him from the other side of the table, smiling a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry it’s so rough,” he says earnestly. 

Suga takes a deep breath. “It’s not always like this,” he says. “I just feel bad because it doesn’t feel like I got anything done and Yachi’s still a little new and she gets overwhelmed easily.”

“I’m sure she knows it’s not your fault.”

Suga nods. “I’m sure she does. I still feel bad.”

Daichi looks sympathetic when Suga glances up. “I have something to ask you,” he says next.

Suga pauses, tilts his head.

“Do you get a lunch break soon?” he asks.

Suga smiles, shakes his head, warmth in his chest. At Daichi’s blatant disappointment he says, “But, today is a short shift. I clock out in,” he checks the time, “seven minutes!”

Daichi’s face lights up. “Good! Do you want to meet me and Asahi for lunch? Just in town at that new cafe?” 

Smile growing, Suga nods. “I’d love to,” he says. “I’ll meet you there in twenty?”

“We’ll go grab a table!” Daichi says, and hurries off. 

It turns out that other people are out for lunch too, and in Suga’s frantic efforts to not be late, he forgets to be nervous about this new development until he’s walking through the doors of the cafe.

He scans the room, looking for familiar faces, getting more anxious the longer he looks.

Asahi waves at him from the corner of the room and he smiles, relieved. He maneuvers through the busy dining room to sit across from Asahi and Daichi, glad they didn’t make him choose which to sit next to.

“Sorry,” he says first. “I forgot that this is the normal lunchtime for most people.”

Daichi waves it off. “Don’t worry about it, we just figured you got caught up and were planning on waiting for, well, forever.” He grins. 

Asahi leans forward to hold up a hand and stage whisper. “He’s glad you agreed to come at all, he definitely would’ve waited forever.”

Suga giggles. In the comfortable pause that follows, he looks around the place. “I’ve never been here before. It’s cute!”

“We like it because it’s good and inexpensive,” Asahi says.

“And they’ve got great coffee,” Daichi adds, lifting his mug.

Suga makes a face. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker,” he says. Asahi lifts their own mug.

“Me either. Their tea selection is pretty good, too.”

Suga smiles, but freezes momentarily as he becomes suddenly very aware of the weirdness of his situation. He did enjoy their company, but why did they invite him out? He’d thought they were together, they certainly acted like they were together, but… was this a date? With the  _ two _ of them?

“Suga?” Daichi asks, Asahi looking on with a pinched expression on their face.

“I told you it would be weird,” Asahi hisses in Daichi’s ear, not quite quiet enough to escape Suga’s keen hearing. Suga watches Daichi put a hand on Asahi’s forearm where it’s laying on the table.

“You guys can actually call me Koushi,” Suga says, smiling. He’ll just… roll with it. He watches the other two visibly relax. “Suga’s a nickname.”

Daichi beams. “Okay, Koushi!” he says, and Suga sees Asahi mouth it to themself, trying it out.

A server interrupts them, looking flustered. “I’m so sorry, we’re super busy and someone couldn’t make it in for the lunch rush,” she says.

Suga shakes his head, a smile on his face, but Daichi beats him to it. “We’re not in any hurry,” he says kindly. “We’ll be the easiest table, I promise. No trouble from us.”

The waitress relaxes a little as Suga and Asahi both agree. “Thanks,” she says, looking grateful. “I see your third party arrived! What can I get you to drink?”

Suga chooses from an impressive selection of tea blends, settling on a peach white tea, and they all end up ordering sandwiches when she comes back with Suga’s drink. As she leaves again, Suga studies Daichi and Asahi closely. At this point, he’s pretty positive they’re together. He always lamented the fact, though they were obviously happy and he couldn’t begrudge them that.

“So,” Suga starts, calling their attention. “Is this a date?” 

Asahi chokes, putting down their mug and coughing. Daichi rubs their back and looks at Suga, still smiling but eyes serious.

“Do you want it to be?” he asks. Asahi, eyes watering but breathing turning steady, watches this unfold.

Suga fiddles with his napkin. “I think… I’d like it to be.”

“Which one?” Asahi croaks, then clears their throat. “Which one of us did you want to be on a date with?”

Taken aback, Suga drops his napkin and looks up. Daichi and Asahi are leaning towards him, faces serious, but—

“I-I’m confused,” Suga says. “I thought--was I wrong?”

The other two relax into wide smiles and almost at the same reach out to him.

“You didn’t get it wrong,” Asahi says as Daichi says, “We just wanted to be sure.”

Suga lights up just as their food reaches the table. They’re distracted by being kind to the waitress, but once everything settles again Suga leans towards the other two.

“Did you mean it?” Suga says earnestly. “Both of you?”

“It’s… unconventional, we know,” Daichi says.

“But yes, absolutely,” Asahi says. “If you want, we’d both love to date you.” 

“I do! I do want!” Suga crows. Suga reaches out to take each of their hands in one of his own for a quick squeeze and then enthusiastically digs into his sandwich.

They finish quickly to clear up the table and get out of the waitress’s way, tipping generously and heading outside. The three of them stand on the sidewalk a little awkwardly, looking at each other and smiling.

“So,” Suga says, “I’ll give you my number and we can do this again?” Asahi nods enthusiastically.

“Sounds perfect,” Daichi says. They all trade contact info, Suga taking the chance to stand close, inside their personal space, and when they’ve put their phones away Suga acts. He grips each of their biceps for leverage and leans up onto his toes to plant a kiss first on Asahi’s cheek and then on Daichi’s. Their eyes widen and Suga grins, takes a step back, and then a few more steps backwards.

“I’ll see you two soon,” he says, before waving and turning to walk off. One last look back reveals Daichi and Asahi standing on the sidewalk, hands over their cheeks, looking absolutely lovestruck.


End file.
